Manchester United and Adidas are extending the most lucrative jersey collaboration in international soccer.
The German brand has re-upped as Man United’s uniform supplier after agreeing to pay the Premier League club at least $115 million a year through 2035. That’s an EPL record and a significant increase from the current annual figure of around $95 million.
In 2022, Manchester United reclaimed the top spot in worldwide soccer jersey sales with more than 3 million — thanks in large part to the brief return of Cristiano Ronaldo, which sparked more than $200 million in sales in just 10 days. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Barcelona rounded out the top five.
In 2021, TeamViewer replaced Chevrolet as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor in a deal reported to be worth $57 million a year.
Staying On Top
It’s unclear if the new Adidas deal keeps the provision that lowers the company’s payment by 30% if Man United fails to qualify for the UEFA Champions League two seasons in a row — which hasn’t happened since 2017.
The Adidas extension arrives as the club returns to Champions League this season — but also as the unpopular Glazer family ponders a sale. In May, the owners delayed a decision on further news until after the season, but a week out from the new EPL season, there have been no major updates.
